FERROELECTRIC SWITCHING LIQUID CRYSTAL POLYACRYLATES - THE CONTROL AND EFFECT OF MOLECULAR WEIGHT

The polymerisation of two liquid crystalline acrylate monomers is discussed with particular reference to control of the degree of polymerisation. Two series of liquid crystalline side chain polymers are produced, each with a broad smectic C phase and with a range of molecular weights. The electro-optic behaviour of the materials is discussed, and in one of the series ferroelectric response to electric field is observed for all molecular weights. This includes a sample with a very high degree of polymerisation where the molecular weight is too high to allow dissolution in tetrahydrofuran, and therefore cannot be measured by gel permeation chromatography.